BACK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS

Despite lots of apprehension in the lead up to the start of school for this year, it’s nice to report that our first week has gone very well. The students are certainly excited to be back with their friends and teachers and there are lots of smiles in classrooms and the yard. The atmosphere across both campuses is very positive and we look forward to a successful year. Thanks to everyone for helping us get away to such a smooth start.

Flooding in the BER (product of the storm on Jan 28) set us back a little, but that will soon be behind us as the 3 affected classes move back in today. The staff and students involved have handled the inconvenience without fuss, but it will be nice to get the classes back to where they belong.

As always, we use the first couple of weeks to build relationships and set expectations and routines and there has been plenty of evidence of this happening in all classrooms across the school. This work is very important as we set ourselves up for success in classrooms and the playground.

We finished the week at the Buninyong Campus with an outdoor assembly with the grade 5/6s. This is a great option when the weather is on our side. This Friday we have a grade 3/4 assembly and parents are welcome to come along to watch.

A number of our grade 6 leadership teams have already swung into action. This has included:

Members of the Photography Team have had a quick lesson and been sent out to record what’s happening in classrooms and the yard. The photos in last week’s newsletter were taken by Poppy S and this week’s by Leo G & Paige C.
Our Sporting House Leaders have sorted and re-stocked sports tubs in all classrooms, ensuring all students have access to equipment to play with during recess and lunch breaks.
The Canteen Team has met and done some planning for 2022. They have discussed how profits might be spent and are gearing up to start selling out of the canteen from this Friday.
Two members of the Morning Announcements Team take responsibility for this role each term. Rylan V & Zac D are in charge for term 1 and have embraced the role.
Our Bike Shed and Flagpole Team have been trained up and are proving to be a reliable crew.
The Music Team have started to learn the trade of helping Mr Skilbeck to set up for assemblies and then packing up afterwards.

The remaining teams will crank up soon and we hope badges will arrive soon so we can present them to the grade 6s.

Thanks to all those who are already booked in for next week’s Meet and Greet. This event presents a great opportunity to check in with your child’s teacher, chat about how the year has started and make sure the teacher has the information they need to meet the needs of your child. All those who are unable to make the night are invited to contact their child’s teacher to find an alternative time to catch up.

START OF YEAR REMINDERS

Following are some important messages we communicate at this time each year.

Student Accident Insurance Arrangements - The Department of Education and Training (DET) does not provide personal accident insurance cover for students. Parents also need to understand that we as a school don’t purchase cover for our students.

As such, parents and guardians are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any transport costs.

Reasonably low cost student accident insurance policies are available from some commercial insurers. These cover a range of medical expenses not covered by Medicare or private health insurance.

For Information regarding accident insurance is available at www.studentcover.com.au

Bringing Personal Property to School - At this time each year the department asks us to give our parents and students the following reminder.

Personal property is often brought to school by students, staff and visitors. This can include mobile phones, ipads, electronic games, toys, musical instruments, sporting equipment, and cars parked on school premises.
The Department of Education and Training does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools and it has no capacity to pay for any loss or damage to such property.
This is something we all need to be aware of and heightens the need for us to take the steps needed to keep property as secure as possible.

Collecting Children After 3:45pm - Obviously it’s best if parents are able to collect their students from school on or close to 3:30pm. However we understand that this is not always possible and there are times when parents get held up….that’s fine.

To keep students safe whilst they are in our care, any unaccompanied students who are still at school at 3:45pm are asked to go to the office where they can be supervised and kept safe.

If you have any queries about this, please give me a call.

Parents attending Camps and Excursions - Working With Children’s Check (WWCC)

As back to normal and later this year will be able to run excursions and camps and have parents come along to help out. Parents are reminded that it is School Council Policy that all accompanying adults (camps and excursions) require a current WWCC. Parents can apply for a WWCC, renew (they are current for 5 years) or check their existing status by clicking on the following link http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/ . Voluntary WWCC does not incur a cost.

Privacy in Schools

The Department of Education and Training (DET) values your privacy and is committed to protecting information that schools collect. At the beginning of each school year we remind everyone in the school community of what you can expect in this regard.

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in DET’s Privacy Policy, which can be found on our school’s website.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents.

Respectful Behaviours in the School Community

Our school community has demonstrated incredible solidarity and resilience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Being back in our classrooms with extra health and safety measures is another big transition, but it’s the very best one for our children's education. As we navigate these changes to onsite learning, including required mask wearing for some students, it’s more important than ever that adults in our school community treat each other with respect and kindness.

The Department of Education and Training has released a new policy that describes the positive behaviour expected from parents, carers, and other adults in Victorian school communities. The policy sets clear standards of behaviour to create a safe, respectful, and inclusive learning environment for students, staff and adults. This policy can be seen on the school’s website.

There are also other resources to support safe and respectful relationships in our school community, including information about getting involved in the school, advice on how to raise a concern or complaint, and parenting support resources. You can find these resources here.

You may also see a new poster up around our school, promoting positive behaviour.

For many ways our school community has enjoyed a close and respectful home-school relationship, which we all appreciate. The DET resources mentioned above provide reminders that will help us keep it that way.

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